Quran and modern science compatible or incompatible
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful<br />
1. INTRODUCTION<br />
Ever since the dawn of human life on this planet,<br />
Man has always tried to underst<strong>and</strong> Nature, his<br />
own place in the scheme of Creation <strong>and</strong> the purpose<br />
of Life itself. In this quest f<strong>or</strong> Truth, spanning many<br />
centuries <strong>and</strong> diverse civilizations, <strong>or</strong>ganized<br />
religion has shaped human life <strong>and</strong>, to a large<br />
extent, has determined the course of hist<strong>or</strong>y. While<br />
some religions have been based on written text,<br />
claimed by their followers to be divinely inspired,<br />
others have relied solely on human experience.<br />
Al-Qur’an, the main source of the Islamic faith, is<br />
a book believed by its followers, the Muslims, to be<br />
completely of Divine <strong>or</strong>igin. Muslims also believe<br />
that it contains guidance f<strong>or</strong> all humankind. Since<br />
the message of the Qur’an is believed to be f<strong>or</strong> all<br />
times, it should be relevant to every age. But does<br />
the Qur’an pass this test?<br />
In this booklet, I intend to give an objective analysis<br />
of the Muslim belief regarding the Divine <strong>or</strong>igin of<br />
the Qur’an, particularly in the light of established<br />
scientific discoveries.<br />
There was a time, in the hist<strong>or</strong>y of w<strong>or</strong>ld civilization,<br />
when ‘miracles’, <strong>or</strong> what were perceived to be<br />
miracles, took precedence over human reason <strong>and</strong><br />
logic. Of course, the n<strong>or</strong>mal defination of ‘miracle’ is<br />
simply, anything that takes place out of the n<strong>or</strong>mal
course of life <strong>and</strong> f<strong>or</strong> which humankind has no<br />
explanation.<br />
However, we must be careful bef<strong>or</strong>e accepting<br />
something as a miracle. In 1993, ‘The Times of<br />
India’, Mumbai, rep<strong>or</strong>ted that ‘a saint’ by the name<br />
‘Baba Pilot’ claimed to have stayed continuously<br />
submerged under water in a tank f<strong>or</strong> three<br />
consecutive days <strong>and</strong> nights. However, when<br />
rep<strong>or</strong>ters wanted to examine the bottom of the tank<br />
of water in which he claimed to have perf<strong>or</strong>med his<br />
‘miraculous feat’, he refused to let them do so. He<br />
argued by asking as to how one could examine the<br />
womb of a mother that gives birth to a child.<br />
Obviously the ‘saint’ had something to conceal! His<br />
claim was a gimmick simply to gain publicity.<br />
Surely, no <strong>modern</strong> person with even the slightest<br />
inkling towards rational thinking would accept such<br />
a ‘miracle’. If such false miracles are the tests of<br />
divinity, then we would have to accept all w<strong>or</strong>ld<br />
famous magicians known f<strong>or</strong> their ingenious<br />
magical tricks <strong>and</strong> illusions, as genuine God-men!<br />
A book, claiming to be of Divine <strong>or</strong>igin, is in effect,<br />
claiming to be a miracle. Such a claim should be<br />
easily verifiable in any age, acc<strong>or</strong>ding to the<br />
st<strong>and</strong>ards of that age. Muslims believe, that the<br />
Qur’an is the last <strong>and</strong> final revelation of God, the<br />
miracle of miracles, revealed as a mercy to mankind.<br />
Let us theref<strong>or</strong>e investigate the veracity of this<br />
belief.
THE CHALLENGE OF THE QUR’AN<br />
Literature <strong>and</strong> poetry have been instruments of<br />
human expression <strong>and</strong> creativity, in all cultures.<br />
The w<strong>or</strong>ld also witnessed an age when literature<br />
<strong>and</strong> poetry occupied pride of position, similar to that<br />
now enjoyed by <strong>science</strong> <strong>and</strong> technology.<br />
Even non-Muslim scholars agree that the Qur’an is<br />
Arabic literature par excellence – that it is the best<br />
Arabic literature on the face of the earth. The Qur’an<br />
challenges mankind to produce the likes of it:<br />
“And if ye are in doubt<br />
as to what We have revealed<br />
from time to time to Our servant,<br />
then produce a Surah like<br />
thereunto;<br />
<strong>and</strong> call your witnesses <strong>or</strong> helpers<br />
(if there are any) besides Allah,<br />
if your (doubts) are true.<br />
“But if ye cannot –<br />
<strong>and</strong> of a surety you cannot –<br />
then fear the Fire<br />
whose fuel is Men <strong>and</strong> Stones –<br />
which is prepared f<strong>or</strong> those<br />
who reject Faith.”<br />
____________________________________________________________<br />
[Al-Qur’an 2:23-24] 1<br />
1<br />
Al-Qur’an 2:23-24 indicates Surah <strong>or</strong> Chapter No. 2 <strong>and</strong> Aayaat<br />
<strong>or</strong> Verses 23 <strong>and</strong> 24. The same notation is followed throughout<br />
this book. References <strong>and</strong> translation of the Qur’an are from<br />
the translation of the Qur’an by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, new revised<br />
edition, 1989, published by Amana C<strong>or</strong>p<strong>or</strong>ation, Maryl<strong>and</strong>, USA.
The challenge of the Qur’an, is to produce a single<br />
Surah (chapter) like the Surahs it contains. The same<br />
challenge is repeated in the Qur’an several times.<br />
The challenge to produce a Surah, which, in beauty,<br />
eloquence, depth <strong>and</strong> meaning is at least somewhat<br />
similar to a Qur’anic Surah remains unmet to this day.<br />
A <strong>modern</strong> rational man, however, would never accept<br />
a religious scripture which says, in the best possible<br />
poetic language, that the w<strong>or</strong>ld is flat. This is because<br />
we live in an age, where human reason, logic <strong>and</strong> <strong>science</strong><br />
are given primacy. Not many would accept the Qur’an’s<br />
extra<strong>or</strong>dinarily beautiful language, as proof of its<br />
Divine <strong>or</strong>igin. Any scripture claiming to be a divine<br />
revelation must also be acceptable on the strength of its<br />
own reason <strong>and</strong> logic.<br />
Acc<strong>or</strong>ding to the famous physicist <strong>and</strong> Nobel Prize<br />
winner, Albert Einstein, “Science without religion is<br />
lame. Religion without <strong>science</strong> is blind.” Let us theref<strong>or</strong>e<br />
study the Qur’an, <strong>and</strong> analyze whether the Qur’an <strong>and</strong><br />
Modern Science are <strong>compatible</strong> <strong>or</strong> in<strong>compatible</strong>?<br />
The Qur’an is not a book of Science but a book of<br />
‘Signs’, i.e. Aayaats. There are m<strong>or</strong>e than six thous<strong>and</strong><br />
‘Signs’ in the Qur’an of which m<strong>or</strong>e than a thous<strong>and</strong><br />
deal with hard c<strong>or</strong>e Science.<br />
We all know that many a times Science takes a ‘U-turn’.<br />
In this book I have considered only established scientific<br />
facts <strong>and</strong> not hypotheses <strong>and</strong> the<strong>or</strong>ies based on mere<br />
assumptions <strong>and</strong> not backed by proof.
2. ASTRONOMY<br />
CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE:<br />
‘THE BIG BANG’<br />
The creation of the universe is explained by<br />
astrophysicists as a widely accepted phenomenon,<br />
popularly known as ‘The Big Bang’. It is supp<strong>or</strong>ted<br />
by observational <strong>and</strong> experimental data gathered by<br />
astronomers <strong>and</strong> astrophysicists f<strong>or</strong> decades.<br />
Acc<strong>or</strong>ding to ‘The Big Bang’, the whole universe was<br />
initially one big mass (Primary Nebula). Then there<br />
was a ‘Big Bang’ (Secondary Separation) which<br />
resulted in the f<strong>or</strong>mation of Galaxies. These then<br />
divided to f<strong>or</strong>m stars, planets, the sun, the moon,<br />
etc. The <strong>or</strong>igin of the universe was unique <strong>and</strong> the<br />
probability of it happening by ‘chance’ is nil.<br />
The Qur’an contains the following verse regarding<br />
the <strong>or</strong>igin of the universe:<br />
“Do not the Unbelievers see<br />
that the heavens <strong>and</strong> the earth<br />
were joined together (as one<br />
unit of Creation), bef<strong>or</strong>e<br />
We clove them asunder?”<br />
[Al-Qu’ran 21:30]<br />
The striking similarity between the Qur’anic verse<br />
<strong>and</strong> ‘The Big Bang’ is inescapable! How could a book,<br />
which first appeared in the deserts of Arabia 1400<br />
years ago, contain this profound scientific truth?
INITIAL GASEOUS MASS BEFORE<br />
CREATION OF GALAXIES<br />
Scientists agree that bef<strong>or</strong>e the galaxies in the<br />
universe were f<strong>or</strong>med, celestial matter was<br />
initially in the f<strong>or</strong>m of gaseous matter. In sh<strong>or</strong>t,<br />
huge gaseous matter <strong>or</strong> clouds were present<br />
bef<strong>or</strong>e the f<strong>or</strong>mation of the galaxies. To describe<br />
initial celestial matter, the w<strong>or</strong>d ‘smoke’ is m<strong>or</strong>e<br />
appropriate than gas. The following Qur’anic verse<br />
refers to this state of the universe by the w<strong>or</strong>d<br />
dukhaan which means smoke.<br />
“M<strong>or</strong>eover, He Comprehended<br />
in His design the sky,<br />
<strong>and</strong> it had been (as) smoke:<br />
He said to it <strong>and</strong> to the earth:<br />
‘Come ye together,<br />
willingly <strong>or</strong> unwillingly.’<br />
They said: ‘We do come (together),<br />
in willing obedience.’”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 41:11]<br />
Again, this fact is a c<strong>or</strong>ollary to the ‘Big Bang’ <strong>and</strong><br />
was not known to anyone bef<strong>or</strong>e the prophetehood of<br />
Muhammad (Peace be upon him) 1 . What then, could<br />
have been the source of this knowledge?<br />
________________________________________________________<br />
1<br />
Muslims also send salutations upon all the previous divinely<br />
inspired Prophets on taking their names.
SHAPE OF THE EARTH IS SPHERICAL<br />
In early times, people believed that the earth was<br />
flat. F<strong>or</strong> centuries, men were afraid to venture out<br />
too far, f<strong>or</strong> fear of falling off the edge! Sir Francis<br />
Drake was the first person who proved that the<br />
earth is spherical when he sailed around it in 1597.<br />
Consider the following Qur’anic verse regarding the<br />
alternation of day <strong>and</strong> night:<br />
“Seest thou not that Allah<br />
merges Night into Day<br />
<strong>and</strong> He merges Day into Night?”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 31:29]<br />
Merging here means that the night slowly <strong>and</strong><br />
gradually changes to day <strong>and</strong> vice versa. This<br />
phenomenon can only take place if the earth is<br />
spherical. If the earth was flat, there would have<br />
been a sudden change from night to day <strong>and</strong> from<br />
day to night.<br />
The following verse also alludes to the spherical<br />
shape of the earth:<br />
“He created the heavens <strong>and</strong><br />
the earth in true (prop<strong>or</strong>tions):<br />
He makes the Night<br />
overlap the Day,
<strong>and</strong> the Day<br />
overlap the Night.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 39:5]<br />
The Arabic w<strong>or</strong>d used here is Kawwara meaning<br />
‘to overlap’ <strong>or</strong> ‘to coil’– the way a turban is wound<br />
around the head. The overlapping <strong>or</strong> coiling of the<br />
day <strong>and</strong> night can only take place if the earth is<br />
spherical.<br />
The earth is not exactly round like a ball, but<br />
geo-spherical, i.e. it is flattened at the poles. The<br />
following verse contains a description of the earth’s<br />
shape:<br />
“And the earth, m<strong>or</strong>eover,<br />
hath He made egg shaped.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 79:30]<br />
The Arabic w<strong>or</strong>d f<strong>or</strong> egg here is dahaahaa 1 which<br />
means an ostrich-egg. The shape of an ostrich-egg<br />
resembles the geo-spherical shape of the earth.<br />
Thus the Qur’an c<strong>or</strong>rectly describes the shape of the<br />
earth, though the prevalent notion when the Qur’an<br />
was revealed was that the earth was flat.<br />
MOONLIGHT IS REFLECTED LIGHT<br />
It was believed by earlier civilizations that the moon<br />
emanates its own light. Science now tells us<br />
____________________________________________________________<br />
1<br />
The Arabic w<strong>or</strong>d dahaahaa has been translated by A. Yusuf<br />
Ali as “vast expanse”, which also is c<strong>or</strong>rect. This w<strong>or</strong>d also means<br />
an ostrich-egg.
that the light of the moon is reflected light. However<br />
this fact was mentioned in the Qur’an 1,400 years<br />
ago in the following verse:<br />
“Blessed is He Who made<br />
Constellations in the skies,<br />
<strong>and</strong> placed therein a Lamp<br />
<strong>and</strong> a Moon giving light.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 25:61]<br />
The Arabic w<strong>or</strong>d f<strong>or</strong> the sun in the Qur’an, is shams.<br />
It is also referred to as siraaj which means a ‘t<strong>or</strong>ch’<br />
<strong>or</strong> as wahhaaj meaning ‘a blazing lamp’ <strong>or</strong> as diya<br />
which means ‘shining gl<strong>or</strong>y’. All three descriptions<br />
are appropriate to the sun, since it generates<br />
intense heat <strong>and</strong> light by its internal combustion.<br />
The Arabic w<strong>or</strong>d f<strong>or</strong> the moon is qamar <strong>and</strong> it<br />
is described in the Qur’an as muneer which is a<br />
body that gives no<strong>or</strong> i.e. reflected light. Again, the<br />
Qur’anic description matches perfectly with the true<br />
nature of the moon which does not give off light by<br />
itself <strong>and</strong> is an inactive body that reflects the light<br />
of the sun. Not once in the Qur’an, is the moon<br />
mentioned as siraaj, wahhaaj <strong>or</strong> diya n<strong>or</strong> the sun as<br />
no<strong>or</strong> <strong>or</strong> muneer. This implies that the Qur’an<br />
recognizes the difference between the nature of<br />
sunlight <strong>and</strong> moonlight.<br />
The following verses relate to the nature of light<br />
from the sun <strong>and</strong> the moon:
“It is He who made the sun<br />
to be a shining gl<strong>or</strong>y<br />
<strong>and</strong> the moon to be a light<br />
(of beauty).”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 10:5]<br />
“See ye not<br />
how Allah has created<br />
the seven heavens<br />
one above another,<br />
“And made the moon<br />
a light in their midst,<br />
<strong>and</strong> made the sun<br />
as a (Gl<strong>or</strong>ious) Lamp?”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 71:15-16]<br />
The Gl<strong>or</strong>ious Qur'an <strong>and</strong> <strong>modern</strong> <strong>science</strong>, are thus<br />
in perfect agreement about the differences in the<br />
nature of sunlight <strong>and</strong> moonlight.<br />
THE SUN ROTATES<br />
F<strong>or</strong> a long time European philosophers <strong>and</strong> scientists<br />
believed that the earth stood still in the centre of the<br />
universe <strong>and</strong> every other body including the sun<br />
moved around it. In the West, this geocentric concept<br />
of the universe was prevalent right from the time of<br />
Ptolemy in the second century B.C. In 1512, Nicholas<br />
Copernicus put f<strong>or</strong>ward his Heliocentric The<strong>or</strong>y of<br />
Planetary Motion, which asserted that the sun is
motionless at the centre of the solar system with the<br />
planets revolving around it.<br />
In 1609, the German scientist Yohannus Keppler<br />
published the ‘Astronomia Nova’. In this he<br />
concluded that not only do the planets move in<br />
elliptical <strong>or</strong>bits around the sun, they also rotate<br />
upon their axes at irregular speeds. With this<br />
knowledge it became possible f<strong>or</strong> European scientists<br />
to explain c<strong>or</strong>rectly many of the mechanisms of the<br />
solar system, including the sequence of night <strong>and</strong><br />
day.<br />
After these discoveries, it was thought that the Sun<br />
was stationary <strong>and</strong> did not rotate about its axis like<br />
the Earth. I remember having studied this fallacy<br />
from Geography books during my school days.<br />
Consider the following Qur’anic verse:<br />
“It is He Who created<br />
the Night <strong>and</strong> the Day,<br />
<strong>and</strong> the sun <strong>and</strong> the moon:<br />
All (the celestial bodies)<br />
swim along, each in its<br />
rounded course.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 21:33]<br />
The Arabic w<strong>or</strong>d used in the above verse is<br />
yasbahoon . This w<strong>or</strong>d is derived from the w<strong>or</strong>d<br />
sabaha. It carries with it the idea of motion that<br />
comes from any moving body. If you use this w<strong>or</strong>d<br />
f<strong>or</strong> a person on the ground, it would not mean that<br />
he is rolling but would imply that he is walking <strong>or</strong>
unning. If you use this w<strong>or</strong>d f<strong>or</strong> a person in water,<br />
it would not mean that he is floating but would<br />
imply that he is swimming.<br />
Similarly, if you use the w<strong>or</strong>d yasbah f<strong>or</strong> a celestial<br />
body such as the sun, it would not only mean that it<br />
is flying through space but would also mean that it<br />
is rotating as it goes through space. Most school<br />
textbooks have now inc<strong>or</strong>p<strong>or</strong>ated the fact that the<br />
sun rotates about its axis. The rotation of the sun<br />
about its own axis can be proved with the help of an<br />
equipment that projects the image of the sun on the<br />
top of a table, so that one can examine the image of<br />
the sun without being blinded. It is noticed that the<br />
sun has spots which complete a circular motion once<br />
every 25 days i.e. the sun takes approximately 25<br />
days to rotate round its axis.<br />
The sun travels through space at roughly 240 km<br />
per second, <strong>and</strong> takes about 200 million years to<br />
complete one revolution around the centre of our<br />
Milky Way Galaxy.<br />
“It is not permitted<br />
to the Sun to catch up the Moon,<br />
n<strong>or</strong> can the Night outstrip the Day:<br />
Each (just) swims along<br />
in (its own) <strong>or</strong>bit<br />
(acc<strong>or</strong>ding to Law).”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 36:40]<br />
This verse mentions an essential fact discovered
only recently by <strong>modern</strong> astronomy, i.e. the<br />
existence of the individual <strong>or</strong>bits of the Sun <strong>and</strong> the<br />
Moon, <strong>and</strong> their journey through space with their<br />
own motion.<br />
The ‘fixed place’ towards which the sun travels,<br />
carrying with it the solar system, has been located<br />
preirsely by <strong>modern</strong> astronomy. It has been given a<br />
name, the Solar Apex. The solar system is indeed<br />
moving in space towards a point situated in the<br />
constellation of Hercules (alpha Lyrae) whose exact<br />
location is now firmly established.<br />
The moon rotates around its axis in the same<br />
duration that it takes to revolve around the earth.<br />
It takes approximately 29½ days to complete one<br />
rotation.<br />
One cannot help but be amazed at the scientific<br />
accuracy of the Qur’anic verses. Should we not<br />
ponder over the question: “What is the source of<br />
knowledge contained in the Qur’an?”<br />
THE SUN WILL EXTINGUISH<br />
The light of the sun is due to a chemical process on<br />
its surface that has been taking place continuously<br />
f<strong>or</strong> the past five billion years. It will come to an end<br />
at some point of time in the future, when the sun<br />
will be totally extinguished, leading to extinction of<br />
all life on earth. Regarding the impermanence of the<br />
sun’s existence, the Qur’an says:<br />
“And the Sun runs its course
f<strong>or</strong> a period determined<br />
f<strong>or</strong> it; that is<br />
the decree of (Him)<br />
the exalted in Might,<br />
the All-Knowing.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 36:38] 1<br />
The Arabic w<strong>or</strong>d used here is mustaqarr, which<br />
means a place <strong>or</strong> time that is determined. Thus the<br />
Qur’an says that the sun runs towards a determined<br />
place, <strong>and</strong> will do so only up to a pre-determined<br />
period of time – meaning that it will end <strong>or</strong><br />
extinguish.<br />
INTERSTELLAR MATTER<br />
Space outside <strong>or</strong>ganized astronomical systems was<br />
earlier assumed to be a vacuum. Astrophysicists<br />
later discovered the presence of bridges of matter<br />
in this interstellar space. These bridges of matter<br />
are called plasma, <strong>and</strong> consist of completely ionized<br />
gas containing equal number of free electrons <strong>and</strong><br />
positive ions. Plasma is sometimes called the fourth<br />
state of matter (besides the three known states<br />
viz. solid, liquid <strong>and</strong> gas). The Qur’an refers to<br />
the presence of this interstellar material in the<br />
following verse:<br />
“He Who created the heavens<br />
____________________________________________________________<br />
1<br />
A similar message is conveyed in the Qur’an in 13:2, 35:13,<br />
39:5 <strong>and</strong> 39:21.
<strong>and</strong> the earth <strong>and</strong> all<br />
that is between.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 25:59]<br />
It would be ridiculous f<strong>or</strong> anyone to even suggest<br />
that the presence of interstellar galactic material<br />
was known 1400 years ago!<br />
THE EXPANDING UNIVERSE<br />
In 1925, American astronomer Edwin Hubble,<br />
provided observational evidence that all galaxies<br />
are moving away from one another, which implies<br />
that the universe is exp<strong>and</strong>ing. The expansion of the<br />
universe is now an established scientific fact. This is<br />
what the Qur’an says regarding the nature of the<br />
universe:<br />
“With power <strong>and</strong> skill<br />
did We construct<br />
the Firmament:<br />
F<strong>or</strong> it is We Who create<br />
the vastness of Space.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 51:47]<br />
The Arabic w<strong>or</strong>d musioon is c<strong>or</strong>rectly translated as<br />
‘exp<strong>and</strong>ing it’, <strong>and</strong> it refers to the creation of the<br />
exp<strong>and</strong>ing vastness of the universe.<br />
One of the greatest astrophysicist Stephen<br />
Hawking, in his book, ‘A Brief Hist<strong>or</strong>y of Time’,
says, “The discovery that the universe is exp<strong>and</strong>ing<br />
was one of the great intellectual revolutions of the<br />
20th century.” The Qur’an mentioned the expansion<br />
of the universe, bef<strong>or</strong>e man even learnt to build a<br />
telescope!<br />
Some may say that the presence of astronomical<br />
facts in the Qur’an is not surprising since the Arabs<br />
were advanced in the field of astronomy. They are<br />
c<strong>or</strong>rect in acknowledging the advancement of the<br />
Arabs in the field of astronomy. However they fail<br />
to realize that the Qur’an was revealed centuries<br />
bef<strong>or</strong>e the Arabs excelled in astronomy. M<strong>or</strong>eover<br />
many of the scientific facts mentioned above, such<br />
as the <strong>or</strong>igin of the universe with a Big Bang, were<br />
not known to the Arabs even at the peak of their<br />
scientific advancement. The scientific facts<br />
mentioned in the Qur’an are theref<strong>or</strong>e not due to the<br />
Arabs’ advancement in astronomy. Indeed, the<br />
reverse is true: they advanced in astronomy,<br />
because astronomy occupies a place in the Qur’an.
3. PHYSICS<br />
ATOMS CAN BE DIVIDED<br />
In ancient times a well-known the<strong>or</strong>y by the name<br />
of ‘The<strong>or</strong>y of Atomism’ was widely accepted. This<br />
the<strong>or</strong>y was <strong>or</strong>iginally proposed by the Greeks, in<br />
particular by a scholar called Democritus, who lived<br />
about 23 centuries ago. Democritus <strong>and</strong> the people<br />
that came after him, assumed that the smallest unit<br />
of matter was the atom. The ancient Arabs used to<br />
believe the same. The Arabic w<strong>or</strong>d zarrah most<br />
commonly meant an atom. In recent times <strong>modern</strong><br />
<strong>science</strong> has discovered that it is possible to split<br />
even an atom. That the atom can be split further is<br />
a development of the 20th century. Fourteen<br />
centuries ago this concept would have appeared<br />
unusual even to an Arab. F<strong>or</strong> him the zarrah was<br />
the limit beyond which one could not go. The<br />
following Qur’anic verse however, refuses to<br />
acknowledge this limit:<br />
“The Unbelievers say,<br />
‘Never to us will come<br />
The Hour’:<br />
say, ‘Nay! but most surely,<br />
by my L<strong>or</strong>d,<br />
it will come upon you –
y Him Who knows the unseen –<br />
from Whom is not hidden<br />
the least little atom<br />
in the Heavens <strong>or</strong> on earth:<br />
n<strong>or</strong> is there anything less<br />
than that, <strong>or</strong> greater, but<br />
is in the Rec<strong>or</strong>d Perspicuous.’”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 34:3] 1<br />
This verse also refers to the Omni<strong>science</strong> of God,<br />
His knowledge of all things, hidden <strong>or</strong> apparent. It<br />
then goes further <strong>and</strong> says that God is aware of<br />
everything, including what is smaller <strong>or</strong> bigger than<br />
the atom. Thus the verse clearly shows that it is<br />
possible f<strong>or</strong> something smaller than the atom to<br />
exist, a fact discovered only recently by <strong>modern</strong><br />
<strong>science</strong>.<br />
____________________________________________________________<br />
1<br />
A similar message is conveyed in the Qur’an in 10:61.
4. HYDROLOGY<br />
THE WATER CYCLE<br />
In 1580, Bernard Palissy was the first person to<br />
describe the present day concept of ‘water cycle’. He<br />
described how water evap<strong>or</strong>ates from the oceans<br />
<strong>and</strong> cools to f<strong>or</strong>m clouds. The clouds move inl<strong>and</strong><br />
where they rise, condense <strong>and</strong> fall as rain. This<br />
water gathers as lakes <strong>and</strong> streams <strong>and</strong> flows back<br />
to the ocean in a continuous cycle. In the 7th century<br />
B.C., Thales of Miletus believed that surface spray<br />
of the oceans was picked up by the wind <strong>and</strong> carried<br />
inl<strong>and</strong> to fall as rain.<br />
In earlier times people did not know the source of<br />
underground water. They thought the water of the<br />
oceans, under the effect of winds, was thrust towards<br />
the interi<strong>or</strong> of the continents. They also believed that<br />
the water returned by a secret passage <strong>or</strong> the Great<br />
Abyss. This passage is connected to the oceans <strong>and</strong><br />
has been called the ‘Tartarus’, since Plato’s time.<br />
Even Descartes, a great thinker of the eighteenth<br />
century, subscribed to this view. Till the nineteenth<br />
century, Aristotle’s the<strong>or</strong>y was still prevalent.<br />
Acc<strong>or</strong>ding to this the<strong>or</strong>y, water was condensed in cool<br />
mountain caverns <strong>and</strong> f<strong>or</strong>med underground lakes<br />
that fed springs. Today, we have come to know that<br />
the rainwater that seeps into the cracks of the<br />
ground is responsible f<strong>or</strong> this.<br />
This is described by the Qur’an in the following<br />
verses:
“Seest thou not that Allah<br />
sends down rain<br />
from the sky,<br />
<strong>and</strong> leads it through<br />
springs in the earth?<br />
then He causes to grow,<br />
therewith, produce of<br />
various colours.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 39:21]<br />
“He sends down rain<br />
from the sky<br />
<strong>and</strong> with it gives life to<br />
the earth after it is dead:<br />
Verily in that are Signs<br />
f<strong>or</strong> those who are wise.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 30:24]<br />
“And We send down water<br />
from the sky<br />
acc<strong>or</strong>ding to (due) measure,<br />
<strong>and</strong> We cause it<br />
to soak in the soil;<br />
<strong>and</strong> We certainly are able<br />
to drain it off (with ease).”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 23:18]<br />
No other text dating back 1400 years ago gives such<br />
an accurate description of the water cycle.
EVAPORATION<br />
“By the Firmament<br />
which returns (in its round),”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 86:11]<br />
WINDS IMPREGNATE CLOUDS<br />
“And We send the<br />
fecundating winds,<br />
then cause the rain to<br />
descend from the sky,<br />
therewith providing you<br />
with water (in abundance).”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 15:22]<br />
The Arabic w<strong>or</strong>d used here is lawaaqih which is<br />
the plural of laqih from laqaha, which means<br />
to impregnate <strong>or</strong> fecundate. In this context,<br />
impregnate means that the wind pushes the clouds<br />
together increasing the condensation that causes<br />
lightning <strong>and</strong> thus rain. A similar description is<br />
found in the following verses of the Qur’an:<br />
“Seest thou not that Allah<br />
makes the clouds move<br />
gently, then joins them<br />
together, then makes them<br />
into a heap?–then wilt thou<br />
see rain issue f<strong>or</strong>th<br />
from their midst. And He<br />
sends down from the sky
mountain masses (of clouds)<br />
wherein is hail: He strikes<br />
therewith whom He pleases<br />
<strong>and</strong> He turns it away<br />
from whom He pleases.<br />
the vivid flash of His lightning<br />
well-nigh blinds the sight.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 24:43]<br />
“It is Allah Who sends the Winds,<br />
<strong>and</strong> they raise the Clouds:<br />
then does He spread them<br />
in the sky as He wills,<br />
<strong>and</strong> break them into fragments,<br />
until thou seest raindrops<br />
issue from the midst thereof:<br />
then when He has made them<br />
reach such of His servants as<br />
He wills,<br />
behold, they do rejoice!”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 30:48]<br />
Modern data on Hydrology agrees perfectly with the<br />
Qur'anic description on the same subject.<br />
The water cycle is described in several other verses<br />
of the Gl<strong>or</strong>ious Qur’an, including 7:57, 13:17, 25:48-<br />
49, 35:9, 36:34, 45:5, 50:9-11, 56:68-70 <strong>and</strong> 67:30.
5. GEOLOGY<br />
MOUNTAINS ARE LIKE TENT PEGS<br />
In geology, the phenomenon of ‘folding’, is a recently<br />
discovered fact. Folding is responsible f<strong>or</strong> the<br />
f<strong>or</strong>mation of mountain ranges. The earth’s crust, on<br />
which we live, is like a solid shell, while the deeper<br />
layers are hot <strong>and</strong> fluid, <strong>and</strong> thus inhospitable to<br />
any f<strong>or</strong>m of life. It is also known that the stability<br />
of the mountains is linked to the phenomenon of<br />
folding, f<strong>or</strong> it was the folds that were to provide<br />
foundations f<strong>or</strong> the reliefs that constitute the<br />
mountains.<br />
Geologists tell us that the radius of the Earth is<br />
about 6,035 km <strong>and</strong> the crust on which we live is<br />
very thin, ranging between 2 to 35 km. Since the<br />
crust is thin, it has a high possibility of shaking.<br />
Mountains act like stakes <strong>or</strong> tent pegs that hold<br />
the earth’s crust <strong>and</strong> give it stability. The Qur’an<br />
contains exactly such a description:<br />
“Have We not made<br />
the earth as a wide expanse,<br />
<strong>and</strong> the mountains as pegs?”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 78:6-7]<br />
The w<strong>or</strong>d awtaad means stakes <strong>or</strong> pegs (like<br />
those used to anch<strong>or</strong> a tent); they are the deep<br />
foundations of geological folds.
A book entitled ‘Earth’ is regarded as a basic<br />
reference textbook on geology in many universities<br />
around the w<strong>or</strong>ld. One of the auth<strong>or</strong>s of this book is<br />
Dr. Frank Press, who was the President of the<br />
Academy of Sciences in the USA f<strong>or</strong> 12 years <strong>and</strong><br />
was the Science Advis<strong>or</strong> to f<strong>or</strong>mer US President<br />
Jimmy Carter. In this book, he illustrates the<br />
mountain in a wedge-shape <strong>and</strong> the mountain itself<br />
as a small part of the whole, whose root is deeply<br />
entrenched in the ground. 1 Acc<strong>or</strong>ding to Dr. Press,<br />
the mountains play an imp<strong>or</strong>tant role in stabilizing<br />
the crust of the earth.<br />
The Qur’an clearly mentions the function of the<br />
mountains in preventing the earth from shaking:<br />
“And We have set on the earth<br />
mountains st<strong>and</strong>ing firm,<br />
lest it should shake with them.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 21:31] 2<br />
The Qur’anic descriptions are in perfect agreement<br />
with <strong>modern</strong> geological data.<br />
MOUNTAINS FIRMLY FIXED<br />
The surface of the earth is broken into many rigid<br />
plates that are about 100 km in thickness. These<br />
____________________________________________________________<br />
1<br />
Earth, Press <strong>and</strong> Siever, p. 435. Also see Earth Science,<br />
Tarbuck <strong>and</strong> Lutgens, p. 157<br />
2<br />
A similar message is contained in the Qru'an in 31:10 <strong>and</strong> 16:15
plates float on a partially molten region called<br />
aesthenosphere.<br />
Mountain f<strong>or</strong>mations occur at the boundary of the<br />
plates. The earth’s crust is 5 km thick below oceans,<br />
about 35 km thick below flat continental surfaces<br />
<strong>and</strong> almost 80 km thick below great mountain<br />
ranges. These are the strong foundations on which<br />
mountains st<strong>and</strong>. The Qur’an refers to the strong<br />
mountain foundations in the following verse:<br />
“And the mountains<br />
hath He firmly fixed.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 79:32] 1<br />
Thus, the inf<strong>or</strong>mation contained in the Gl<strong>or</strong>ious<br />
Qur'an about the nature of mountains, is in perfect<br />
agreement with recent discoveries in geology.<br />
____________________________________________________________<br />
1<br />
A similar message is contained in the Qur’an in 88:19.
6. OCEANOLOGY<br />
BARRIER BETWEEN SWEET AND SALT<br />
WATERS<br />
“He has let free the two bodies<br />
of flowing water, meeting together:<br />
Between them is a Barrier<br />
which they do not transgress.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 55:19-20]<br />
In the Arabic text the w<strong>or</strong>d barzakh means a<br />
barrier <strong>or</strong> a partition. This barrier, however, is not a<br />
physical partition. The Arabic w<strong>or</strong>d maraja literally<br />
means ‘they both meet <strong>and</strong> mix with each other’.<br />
Early commentat<strong>or</strong>s of the Qur’an were unable to<br />
explain the two opposite meanings f<strong>or</strong> the two<br />
bodies of water, i.e. they meet <strong>and</strong> mix, <strong>and</strong> at the<br />
same time there is a barrier between them. Modern<br />
Science has discovered that in the places where two<br />
different seas meet, there is a barrier between<br />
them. This barrier divides the two seas so that each<br />
sea has its own temperature, salinity <strong>and</strong> density. 1<br />
Oceanologists are now in a better position to explain<br />
this verse. There is a slanted unseen water barrier<br />
between the two seas through which water from one<br />
sea passes to the other.<br />
But when the water from one sea enters the other<br />
sea, it loses its distinctive characteristic <strong>and</strong><br />
____________________________________________________________<br />
1<br />
Principles of Oceanography, Davis, pp. 92-93.
ecomes homogenized with the other water. In a way<br />
this barrier serves as a transitional homogenizing<br />
area f<strong>or</strong> the two waters.<br />
This phenomenon is also mentioned in the following<br />
verse of the Qur'an:<br />
“And made a separating bar<br />
between the two bodies<br />
of flowing water?”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 27:61]<br />
This phenomenon occurs in several places, including<br />
the divider between the Mediterranean <strong>and</strong> the<br />
Atlantic Ocean at Gibralter. A white bar can also be<br />
clearly seen at Cape Point, Cape Peninsula, South<br />
Africa where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian<br />
Ocean.<br />
But when the Qur’an speaks about the divider<br />
between fresh <strong>and</strong> salt water, it mentions the<br />
existence of “a f<strong>or</strong>bidding partition” with the barrier.<br />
“It is He Who has<br />
let free the two bodies<br />
of flowing water:<br />
one palatable <strong>and</strong> sweet,<br />
<strong>and</strong> the other salty <strong>and</strong> bitter;<br />
yet has He<br />
made a barrier between them,<br />
<strong>and</strong> a partition that is f<strong>or</strong>bidden<br />
to be passed.<br />
[Al-Qur’an 25:53]
Modern <strong>science</strong> has discovered that in estuaries,<br />
where fresh (sweet) <strong>and</strong> salt water meet, the<br />
situation is somewhat different from that found in<br />
places where two salt water seas meet. It has been<br />
discovered that what distinguishes fresh water from<br />
salt water in estuaries is a “pycnocline zone with a<br />
marked density discontinuity separating the two<br />
layers.” 1 This partition (zone of separation) has a<br />
salinity different from both the fresh water <strong>and</strong> the<br />
salt water. 2<br />
This phenomenon occurs in several places, including<br />
Egypt, where the river Nile flows into the<br />
Mediterranean Sea.<br />
These scientific phenomena mentioned in the Qur’an<br />
was also confirmed by Dr. William Hay, a wellknown<br />
marine scientist <strong>and</strong> Profess<strong>or</strong> of Geological<br />
Sciences at the University of Col<strong>or</strong>ado, U.S.A.<br />
DARKNESS IN DEPTHS OF OCEAN<br />
Prof. Durga Rao is a w<strong>or</strong>ld renowned expert in the<br />
field of Marine Geology <strong>and</strong> was a profess<strong>or</strong> at King<br />
Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah. He was asked to<br />
comment on the following verse:<br />
“Or (the Unbelievers’ state)<br />
is like the depths of darkness<br />
in a vast deep ocean,<br />
____________________________________________________________<br />
1<br />
Oceanography, Gross, p. 242. Also see Introduct<strong>or</strong>y Oceanography,<br />
Thurman, pp. 300-301.<br />
2<br />
Oceanography, Gross, p. 244 <strong>and</strong> Introduct<strong>or</strong>y Oceanography,<br />
Thurman, pp. 300-301.
overwhelmed with billow<br />
topped by billow,<br />
topped by (dark) clouds:<br />
depths of darkness,<br />
one above another:<br />
if a man stretches out his h<strong>and</strong>,<br />
he can hardly see it!<br />
F<strong>or</strong> any to whom Allah<br />
giveth not light,<br />
there is no light!”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 24:40]<br />
Prof. Rao said that scientists have only now been<br />
able to confirm, with the help of <strong>modern</strong> equipment,<br />
that there is darkness in the depths of the ocean.<br />
Humans are unable to dive unaided underwater f<strong>or</strong><br />
m<strong>or</strong>e than 20 to 30 metres, <strong>and</strong> cannot survive in<br />
the deep oceanic regions at a depth of m<strong>or</strong>e than<br />
200 metres. This verse does not refer to all seas<br />
because not every sea can be described as having<br />
accumulated darkness layered one over another. It<br />
refers especially to a deep sea <strong>or</strong> deep ocean, as the<br />
Qur’an says, “darkness in a vast deep ocean”. This<br />
layered darkness in a deep ocean is the result of two<br />
causes:<br />
1. A light ray is composed of seven colours seen<br />
in the rainbow. These seven colours are Violet,
Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange <strong>and</strong> Red<br />
(VIBGYOR). The light ray undergoes<br />
refraction when it hits water. The upper 10 to<br />
15 metres of water abs<strong>or</strong>b the red colour.<br />
Theref<strong>or</strong>e, if a diver is 25 metres under water<br />
<strong>and</strong> gets wounded, he would not be able to see<br />
the red colour of his blood, because the red<br />
colour does not reach this depth. Similarly,<br />
<strong>or</strong>ange rays are abs<strong>or</strong>bed at 30 to 50 metres,<br />
yellow at 50 to 100 metres, green at 100 to 200<br />
metres, <strong>and</strong> finally, blue beyond 200 metres<br />
<strong>and</strong> violet <strong>and</strong> indigo above 200 metres. Due to<br />
successive disappearance of colour, one layer<br />
after another, the ocean progressively becomes<br />
darker, i.e. darkness takes place in layers of<br />
light. Below a depth of 1000 meters there is<br />
complete darkness. 1<br />
2. The sun’s rays are abs<strong>or</strong>bed by clouds which in<br />
turn scatter light rays thus causing a layer of<br />
darkness under the clouds. This is the first<br />
layer of darkness. When light rays reach the<br />
surface of the ocean they are reflected by the<br />
wave surface giving it a shiny appearance.<br />
Theref<strong>or</strong>e, it is the waves which reflect light<br />
<strong>and</strong> cause darkness. The unreflected light<br />
penetrates into the depths of the ocean. Thus,<br />
the ocean has two parts. The surface<br />
characterized by light <strong>and</strong> warmth <strong>and</strong> the<br />
depth characterized by darkness. The surface<br />
____________________________________________________________<br />
1<br />
Oceans, Elder <strong>and</strong> Pernetta, p. 27.
is further separated from the deep part of the ocean<br />
by waves.<br />
The internal waves cover the deep waters of<br />
seas <strong>and</strong> oceans because the deep waters have<br />
a higher density than the waters above them.<br />
The darkness begins below the internal waves.<br />
Even the fish in the depths of the ocean cannot<br />
see; their only source of light is from their own<br />
bodies.<br />
The Qur’an describes this aptly:<br />
“Darkness in a vast deep ocean overwhelmed with<br />
waves topped by waves”.<br />
In other w<strong>or</strong>ds, above these waves there are m<strong>or</strong>e<br />
types of waves, i.e. those found on the surface of<br />
the ocean. The Qur’anic verse continues, “topped<br />
by (dark) clouds; depths of darkness, one above<br />
another.”<br />
These clouds as explained are barriers one over the<br />
other that further cause darkness by abs<strong>or</strong>ption of<br />
colours at different levels.<br />
Prof. Durga Rao concluded by saying, “1400 years<br />
ago a n<strong>or</strong>mal human being could not explain this<br />
phenomenon in so much detail. Thus the<br />
inf<strong>or</strong>mation must have come from a supernatural<br />
source”.<br />
_____________________________________________________________<br />
1<br />
The reference f<strong>or</strong> this statment is the video tape titled ‘This is the<br />
Truth’. F<strong>or</strong> a copy of this video tape contact the Islamic Research<br />
Foundation.
“It is He Who has<br />
Created man from water:<br />
then has He established<br />
relationships of lineage<br />
<strong>and</strong> marriage:<br />
f<strong>or</strong> thy L<strong>or</strong>d has power<br />
(over all things).”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 25:54]<br />
Was it possible 14 centuries ago f<strong>or</strong> any human<br />
being to guess that every living being was made<br />
from water? M<strong>or</strong>eover would such a guess be<br />
conceivable by a human being in the deserts of<br />
Arabia where there has always been scarcity of<br />
water?
8. BOTANY<br />
PLANTS HAVE MALE AND FEMALE<br />
Previously, humans did not know that plants too<br />
have male <strong>and</strong> female gender distinctions. Botany<br />
states that every plant has a male <strong>and</strong> female<br />
gender. Even the plants that are unisexual have<br />
distinct elements of both male <strong>and</strong> female.<br />
“‘And has sent down<br />
water from the sky.’<br />
With it have We produced<br />
diverse pairs of plants<br />
each separate from the others.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 20:53]<br />
FRUITS HAVE MALE AND FEMALE<br />
“And fruit of every kind<br />
He made<br />
in pairs, two <strong>and</strong> two.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 13:3]<br />
Fruit is the end product of reproduction of the<br />
superi<strong>or</strong> plants. The stage preceding fruit is the<br />
flower, which has male <strong>and</strong> female <strong>or</strong>gans (stamens<br />
<strong>and</strong> ovules). Once pollen has been carried to the<br />
flower, they bear fruit, which in turn matures <strong>and</strong><br />
frees its seed. All fruits theref<strong>or</strong>e imply the<br />
existence of male <strong>and</strong> female <strong>or</strong>gans; a fact that is<br />
mentioned in the Qur’an.
In certain species, fruit can come from non-fertilized<br />
flowers (parthenocarpic fruit) e.g. bananas, certain<br />
types of pineapple, fig, <strong>or</strong>ange, vine, etc. They also<br />
have definite sexual characteristics.<br />
EVERYTHING MADE IN PAIRS<br />
“And of everything<br />
We have created pairs.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 51:49]<br />
This verse lays emphasis on everything. Besides<br />
humans, animals, plants <strong>and</strong> fruits, it may also be<br />
referring to electricity in which the atoms consist of<br />
negatively – <strong>and</strong> positively – charged electrons <strong>and</strong><br />
protons. And many m<strong>or</strong>e things!<br />
“Gl<strong>or</strong>y to Allah, Who<br />
created in pairs<br />
all things that the<br />
earth produces,<br />
as well as their own<br />
(human) kind<br />
<strong>and</strong> (other) things of which<br />
they have no knowledge.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 36:36]<br />
The Qur’an here says that everything is created in<br />
pairs, including things that the humans do not<br />
know at present <strong>and</strong> may discover later.
9. ZOOLOGY<br />
ANIMALS AND BIRDS LIVE IN<br />
COMMUNITIES<br />
“There is not an animal<br />
(that lives) on the earth,<br />
n<strong>or</strong> a being that flies<br />
on its wings,<br />
but (f<strong>or</strong>ms part of)<br />
communities like you.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 6:38]<br />
Research has shown that animals <strong>and</strong> birds live in<br />
communities, i.e. they <strong>or</strong>ganize, <strong>and</strong> live <strong>and</strong> w<strong>or</strong>k<br />
together.<br />
THE FLIGHT OF BIRDS<br />
“Do they not look at<br />
the birds, held poised<br />
in the midst of (the air<br />
<strong>and</strong>) the sky?<br />
Nothing holds them up<br />
but (the power of) Allah.<br />
Verily in this are Signs<br />
f<strong>or</strong> those who believe.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 16:79]
Another verse also touches on birds:<br />
“Do they not observe<br />
the birds above them,<br />
spreading their wings<br />
<strong>and</strong> folding them in?<br />
None can uphold them<br />
except (Allah) Most Gracious:<br />
truly it is He<br />
that watches over all things.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 67:19]<br />
The Arabic w<strong>or</strong>d amsaka literally means, ‘to put<br />
one’s h<strong>and</strong> on, seize, hold, hold someone back,’<br />
which expresses the idea that Allah holds the bird<br />
up in His power. These verses stress the extremely<br />
close dependence of the birds’ behaviour on Divine<br />
law. Modern scientific data has shown the degree of<br />
perfection attained by certain species of birds with<br />
regard to the programming of their movements. It is<br />
only the existence of a migrat<strong>or</strong>y programme in the<br />
genetic code of the birds that can explain the long<br />
<strong>and</strong> complicated journey that very young birds,<br />
without any pri<strong>or</strong> experience <strong>and</strong> without any guide,<br />
are able to accomplish. They are also able to return<br />
to the departure point on a definite date.<br />
Prof. Hamburger in his book ‘Power <strong>and</strong> Fragility’<br />
gives the example of ‘mutton-bird’ that lives in the<br />
Pacific with its journey of over 24,000 km in the<br />
shape of figure ‘8’. It makes this journey over a
period of 6 months <strong>and</strong> comes back to its departure<br />
point with a maximum delay of one week. The highly<br />
complicated instructions f<strong>or</strong> such a journey have to<br />
be contained in the birds’ nervous cells. They are<br />
definitely programmed. Theref<strong>or</strong>e, should we not at<br />
least reflect on the identity of this ‘Programmer’?<br />
THE BEE AND ITS SKILL<br />
“And thy L<strong>or</strong>d taught the Bee<br />
to build its cells in hills,<br />
on trees, <strong>and</strong> in<br />
(men’s) habitations;<br />
then to eat of all<br />
the produce (of the earth),<br />
<strong>and</strong> find with skill<br />
the spacious paths of its L<strong>or</strong>d.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 16:68-69]<br />
Von-Frisch received the Nobel Prize in 1973 f<strong>or</strong> his<br />
research on the behaviour <strong>and</strong> communication of the<br />
bees. The bee, after discovering any new garden <strong>or</strong><br />
flower, goes back <strong>and</strong> tells its fellow bees the exact<br />
direction <strong>and</strong> map to get there, which is known as<br />
‘bee dance’. The meanings of this insect’s movements<br />
that are intended to transmit inf<strong>or</strong>mation between<br />
w<strong>or</strong>ker bees have been discovered scientifically<br />
using photography <strong>and</strong> other methods. The Qur’an<br />
mentions in the above verses how the bee with its<br />
skill, finds the spacious paths of its L<strong>or</strong>d.
The gender used f<strong>or</strong> the bee in the above verses is<br />
the female gender (fa’slukî <strong>and</strong> kulî), indicating that<br />
the bee that leaves its home f<strong>or</strong> gathering food is a<br />
female bee. In other w<strong>or</strong>ds the soldier <strong>or</strong> w<strong>or</strong>ker bee<br />
is a female bee.<br />
In fact, in Shakespeare’s play, ‘Henry the Fourth’,<br />
some of the characters speak about bees <strong>and</strong><br />
mention that the bees are soldiers <strong>and</strong> that they<br />
have a king. That is what people thought in<br />
Shakespearean times. They thought that the<br />
w<strong>or</strong>ker bees are male bees <strong>and</strong> they go home <strong>and</strong><br />
are answerable to a king bee. This, however, is not<br />
true. The w<strong>or</strong>ker bees are females <strong>and</strong> they do not<br />
rep<strong>or</strong>t to a king bee but to a queen bee. But it took<br />
<strong>modern</strong> investigations in the last 300 years to<br />
discover this.<br />
SPIDER’S WEB, THE FRAGILE HOME<br />
“The parable of those who<br />
take protect<strong>or</strong>s other than Allah<br />
is that of the Spider,<br />
who builds (to itself) a house;<br />
but truly the flimsiest of houses<br />
is the Spider’s house –<br />
if they but knew.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 29:41]
Besides giving the physical description of the spider’s<br />
web as being very flimsy, delicate <strong>and</strong> weak, the<br />
Qur’an also stresses on the flimsiness of the<br />
relationship in the spider’s house, where the female<br />
spider many a times kills its mate, the male spider.<br />
The parable also has reference to the weakness of<br />
such relationship of the people who seek protection<br />
f<strong>or</strong> this w<strong>or</strong>ld <strong>and</strong> f<strong>or</strong> the hereafter from those other<br />
than Allah.<br />
LIFESTYLE AND COMMUNICATION OF<br />
ANTS<br />
“And bef<strong>or</strong>e Solomon were<br />
marshalled his hosts –<br />
of Jinns <strong>and</strong> men <strong>and</strong> birds,<br />
<strong>and</strong> they were all kept<br />
in <strong>or</strong>der <strong>and</strong> ranks.<br />
“At length, when they came<br />
to a (lowly) valley of ants,<br />
one of the ants said :<br />
‘O ye ants, get into<br />
your habitations,<br />
lest Solomon <strong>and</strong> his hosts<br />
crush you (under foot)<br />
without knowing it.’”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 27:17-18]
In the past, some people would have probably<br />
mocked at the Qur’an, taking it to be a book of fairy<br />
tales in which ants talk to each other <strong>and</strong><br />
communicate sophisticated messages. In recent<br />
times however, research has shown us several facts<br />
about the lifestyle of ants, which were not known<br />
earlier to humankind. Research has shown that the<br />
animals <strong>or</strong> insects whose lifestyle is closest in<br />
resemblance to the lifestyle of human beings are the<br />
ants. This can be seen from the following findings<br />
regarding ants:<br />
(a) The ants bury their dead in a manner similar<br />
to the humans.<br />
(b) They have a sophisticated system of division<br />
of labour, whereby they have managers,<br />
supervis<strong>or</strong>s, f<strong>or</strong>emen, w<strong>or</strong>kers, etc.<br />
(c) Once in a while they meet among themselves<br />
to have a ‘chat’.<br />
(d) They have an advanced method of<br />
communication among themselves.<br />
(e) They hold regular ‘markets’ where they<br />
exchange goods.<br />
(f) They st<strong>or</strong>e grain f<strong>or</strong> long periods in winter <strong>and</strong><br />
if the grain begins to bud, they cut the roots, as<br />
if they underst<strong>and</strong> that if they leave it to grow,<br />
it will rot. If the grain st<strong>or</strong>ed by them gets wet<br />
due to rains, they take it out into the sunlight<br />
to dry, <strong>and</strong> once dry, they take it back inside<br />
as though they know that humidity will cause<br />
development of root systems which will cause<br />
the grain to rot.
10. MEDICINE<br />
HONEY: HEALING FOR HUMANKIND<br />
The bee assimilates juices of various kinds of<br />
flowers <strong>and</strong> fruit <strong>and</strong> f<strong>or</strong>ms honey within its body,<br />
which it st<strong>or</strong>es in its cells of wax. Only a couple of<br />
centuries ago humans came to know that honey<br />
comes from the belly of the bee. But this fact was<br />
mentioned in the Qur’an 1,400 years ago in the<br />
following verse:<br />
“There issues from<br />
within their bodies<br />
a drink of varying colours,<br />
wherein is healing f<strong>or</strong> men.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 16:69]<br />
We are only now aware that honey has healing<br />
properties <strong>and</strong> is also a mild antiseptic. The<br />
Russians would use honey to cover their wounds in<br />
W<strong>or</strong>ld War II. The wound would retain moisture<br />
<strong>and</strong> would leave very little scar tissue. Due to the<br />
density of honey, no fungus <strong>or</strong> bacteria could grow<br />
in the wound.<br />
Dramatic improvements were visible in 22<br />
incurable chest <strong>and</strong> Alzheimer's disease patients at<br />
nursing Homes in Engl<strong>and</strong> who were treated by<br />
Sister Carole, a nun, with propolis, a substance<br />
which bees produce to seal hives against bacteria. 1<br />
______________________________________________________________<br />
1<br />
The reference f<strong>or</strong> this statment is the video tape titled ‘This is the<br />
Truth’. F<strong>or</strong> a copy of this video tape contact the Islamic Research<br />
Foundation.
A person suffering from an allergy of a particular<br />
plant may be given honey from that plant so that<br />
the person develops resistance to that allergy.<br />
Honey is also rich in fructose <strong>and</strong> vitamin K.<br />
The knowledge contained in the Qur’an regarding<br />
honey, its <strong>or</strong>igin <strong>and</strong> properties, was discovered<br />
centuries after its revelation.
11. PHYSIOLOGY<br />
BLOOD CIRCULATION AND MILK<br />
The Qur’an was revealed 600 years bef<strong>or</strong>e the<br />
Muslim scientist Ibn Nafees described the<br />
circulation of the blood <strong>and</strong> 1,000 years bef<strong>or</strong>e<br />
William Harwey brought this underst<strong>and</strong>ing to the<br />
Western w<strong>or</strong>ld. Roughly thirteen centuries bef<strong>or</strong>e it<br />
was known what happens in the intestines to<br />
ensure that <strong>or</strong>gans are nourished by the process of<br />
digestive abs<strong>or</strong>ption, a verse in the Qur’an described<br />
the source of the constituents of milk, in conf<strong>or</strong>mity<br />
with these notions.<br />
To underst<strong>and</strong> the Qur’anic verse concerning the<br />
above concepts, it is imp<strong>or</strong>tant to know that<br />
chemical reactions occur in the intestines <strong>and</strong> that,<br />
from there, substances extracted from food pass into<br />
the blood stream via a complex system; sometimes<br />
by way of the liver, depending on their chemical<br />
nature. The blood transp<strong>or</strong>ts them to all the <strong>or</strong>gans<br />
of the body, among which are the milk-producing<br />
mammary gl<strong>and</strong>s.<br />
In simple terms, certain substances from the<br />
contents of the intestines enter into the vessels of<br />
the intestinal wall itself, <strong>and</strong> these substances are<br />
transp<strong>or</strong>ted by the blood stream to the various<br />
<strong>or</strong>gans.
This physiological concept must be fully appreciated if we<br />
wish to underst<strong>and</strong> the following verses of the Qur’an:<br />
“And verily in cattle there is<br />
a lesson f<strong>or</strong> you.<br />
We give you to drink<br />
of what is inside their bodies,<br />
coming from a conjunction<br />
between the contents of the<br />
intestine <strong>and</strong> the blood,<br />
a milk pure <strong>and</strong> pleasant f<strong>or</strong><br />
those who drink it.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 16:66] 1<br />
“And in cattle (too) ye<br />
have an instructive example:<br />
from within their bodies<br />
We produce (milk)<br />
f<strong>or</strong> you to drink;<br />
there are, in them,<br />
(besides), numerous (other)<br />
benefits f<strong>or</strong> you;<br />
<strong>and</strong> of their (meat) ye eat.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 23:21]<br />
____________________________________________________________<br />
1<br />
Translation of this Qur’anic verse is from the book “The Bible, the<br />
_____________________________________________________________<br />
Qur’an <strong>and</strong> Science” by Dr. Maurice Bucaille.<br />
The 1400 year old Qur’anic description of the<br />
production of milk in cattle is strikingly similar to what<br />
<strong>modern</strong> physiology has discovered in recent times
12. EMBRYOLOGY<br />
MUSLIMS SEEK ANSWERS<br />
A group of Muslim Scholars, under the direction of<br />
an eminent Yemani Scholar, Sheikh Abdul Majid<br />
Azzindani, collected inf<strong>or</strong>mation concerning<br />
embryology 1 <strong>and</strong> other <strong>science</strong>s in the Qur'an <strong>and</strong><br />
undisputed Hadith 2 <strong>and</strong> translated it into English.<br />
They then followed the Qur'anic advice:<br />
“If ye realise this not,<br />
ask of those who possess<br />
the Message.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 16:43 & 21:7]<br />
All the inf<strong>or</strong>mation from the Qur’an <strong>and</strong> the<br />
undisputed Hadith concerning embryology so<br />
gathered, after being translated into English <strong>and</strong><br />
presented to Prof. (Dr.) Keith Mo<strong>or</strong>e, Profess<strong>or</strong> of<br />
Embryology <strong>and</strong> Chairman of the Department of<br />
Anatomy at the University of T<strong>or</strong>onto, in Canada.<br />
At present he is one of the highest auth<strong>or</strong>ities in the<br />
field of Embryology.<br />
He was asked to give his opinion regarding the<br />
material presented to him. After carefully<br />
examining it, Dr. Mo<strong>or</strong>e said that most of the<br />
_____________________________________________________________<br />
1<br />
Embryology is the study of human development bef<strong>or</strong>e birth.<br />
2<br />
Hadith <strong>or</strong> Sunnah means the sayings <strong>or</strong> actions of Prophet<br />
Muhammed (pbuh).
inf<strong>or</strong>mation concerning embryology mentioned in<br />
the Qur’an <strong>and</strong> the undisputed Hadith is in perfect<br />
conf<strong>or</strong>mity with <strong>modern</strong> discoveries in the field of<br />
embryology <strong>and</strong> does not conflict with them in any<br />
way. He added that there were a few verses<br />
however, on whose scientific accuracy he could not<br />
comment. He could not say whether the statements<br />
were true <strong>or</strong> false, since he was himself unaware of<br />
the inf<strong>or</strong>mation contained therein. There was also<br />
no mention of this inf<strong>or</strong>mation in <strong>modern</strong> writings<br />
<strong>and</strong> studies on embryology.<br />
One such verse is:<br />
“Proclaim! (<strong>or</strong> Read!)<br />
In the name of thy L<strong>or</strong>d<br />
<strong>and</strong> Cherisher, Who created –<br />
Created man, out of a (mere)<br />
clot of congealed blood.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 96:1-2]<br />
The Arabic w<strong>or</strong>d alaq, besides meaning a congealed<br />
clot of blood, also means something that clings, a<br />
leech-like substance.<br />
Dr. Keith Mo<strong>or</strong>e had no knowledge whether an<br />
embryo in the initial stages appears like a leech. To<br />
check this out he studied the initial stage of the<br />
embryo under a very powerful microscope <strong>and</strong><br />
compared what he observed with the diagram of a<br />
leech. He was astonished at the striking<br />
resemblance between the two!
In the same manner, he acquired m<strong>or</strong>e inf<strong>or</strong>mation<br />
on embryology, that was hitherto not known to him,<br />
from the Qur’an.<br />
Dr. Keith Mo<strong>or</strong>e answered about eighty questions<br />
dealing with embryological data mentioned in the<br />
Qur’an <strong>and</strong> Hadith. Noting that the inf<strong>or</strong>mation<br />
contained in the Qur’an <strong>and</strong> Hadith was in full<br />
agreement with the latest discoveries in the field of<br />
embryology, Prof. Mo<strong>or</strong>e said, “If I was asked these<br />
questions thirty years ago, I would not have been<br />
able to answer half of them f<strong>or</strong> lack of scientific<br />
inf<strong>or</strong>mation”. 1<br />
In 1981, during the Seventh Medical Conference in<br />
Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Dr. Mo<strong>or</strong>e said, “It has<br />
been a great pleasure f<strong>or</strong> me to help clarify<br />
statements in the Qur’an about human development.<br />
It is clear to me that these statements must have<br />
come to Muhammad from God <strong>or</strong> Allah, because<br />
almost all of this knowledge was not discovered<br />
until many centuries later. This proves to me<br />
that Muhammad must have been a messenger of<br />
God <strong>or</strong> Allah”. 2<br />
Dr. Keith Mo<strong>or</strong>e had earlier auth<strong>or</strong>ed the book,<br />
‘The Developing Human’. After acquiring new<br />
knowledge from the Qur’an, he wrote, in 1982, the<br />
3rd edition of the same book, ‘The Developing<br />
_____________________________________________________________<br />
1<br />
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<br />
2<br />
The reference f<strong>or</strong> this statment is the video tape titled ‘This<br />
is the Truth’. F<strong>or</strong> a copy of this video tape contact the Islamic<br />
Research Foundation.
Human’. The book was the recipient of an award f<strong>or</strong><br />
the best medical book written by a single auth<strong>or</strong>.<br />
This book has been translated into several maj<strong>or</strong><br />
languages of the w<strong>or</strong>ld <strong>and</strong> is used as a textbook of<br />
embryology in the first year of medical studies.<br />
Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson, Chairman of the Department<br />
of Obstetrics <strong>and</strong> Gynaecology, at the Bayl<strong>or</strong> College<br />
of Medicine, Houston, U.S.A., proclaims: “...these<br />
Hadiths, sayings of Muhammad (pbuh), could not<br />
have been obtained on the basis of the scientific<br />
knowledge that was available at the time of the<br />
writer (implying in the 7th century). It follows that<br />
not only is there no conflict between genetics <strong>and</strong><br />
religion (implying Islam) but in fact religion (Islam)<br />
may guide <strong>science</strong> by adding revelation to some of the<br />
traditional scientific approaches . . . there exist<br />
statements in the Qur’an shown centuries later to be<br />
valid which supp<strong>or</strong>t knowledge in the Qur’an having<br />
been derived from God.”<br />
DROP EMITTED FROM BETWEEN THE<br />
BACK BONE AND THE RIBS<br />
“Now let man but think<br />
from what he is created!<br />
He is created from<br />
a drop emitted –<br />
Proceeding from between<br />
the back bone <strong>and</strong> the ribs.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 86:5-7]
In embryonic stages, the reproductive <strong>or</strong>gans of the<br />
male <strong>and</strong> female, i.e. the testicles <strong>and</strong> the ovaries,<br />
begin their development near the kidney between<br />
the spinal column <strong>and</strong> the eleventh <strong>and</strong> twelfth ribs.<br />
Later they descend; the female gonads (ovaries) stop<br />
in the pelvis while the male gonads (testicles)<br />
continue their descent bef<strong>or</strong>e birth to reach the<br />
scrotum through the inguinal canal. Even in<br />
adulthood after the descent of the reproductive<br />
<strong>or</strong>gans, these <strong>or</strong>gans receive their nerve supply <strong>and</strong><br />
blood supply from the Abdominal A<strong>or</strong>ta, which is in<br />
the area between the backbone (spinal column) <strong>and</strong><br />
the ribs. The lymphatic drainage <strong>and</strong> the venous<br />
return also go to the same area.<br />
NUTFAH – MINUTE QUANTITY OF<br />
LIQUID<br />
The Gl<strong>or</strong>ious Qur’an mentions no less than eleven<br />
times that the human being is created from nutfah,<br />
which means a minute quantity of liquid <strong>or</strong> a trickle<br />
of liquid that remains after emptying a cup. This is<br />
mentioned in several verses of the Qur’an including<br />
22:5 <strong>and</strong> 23:13. 1<br />
Science has confirmed in recent times that only one<br />
out of an average of three million sperms is required<br />
f<strong>or</strong> fertilising the ovum. This means that only 1 /3<br />
millionth part <strong>or</strong> 0.00003% of the quantity of sperms<br />
that are emitted is required f<strong>or</strong> fertilisation.<br />
_____________________________________________________________<br />
1<br />
The same is also mentioned in the Qur’an in 16:4, 18:37, 35:11,<br />
36:77, 40:67, 53:46, 75:37, 76:2 <strong>and</strong> 80:19.
SULALAH – QUINTESSENCE OF LIQUID<br />
“And made his progeny<br />
from a quintessence<br />
of the nature of<br />
a fluid despised.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 32:8]<br />
The Arabic w<strong>or</strong>d sulaalah means quintessence <strong>or</strong> the<br />
best part of a whole. We have come to know now that<br />
only one single spermatozoon that penetrates the<br />
ovum is required f<strong>or</strong> fertilization, out of the several<br />
million produced by man. That one spermatozoon out<br />
of several million, is referred to in the Qur’an as<br />
sulaalah. We have also come to know now that only<br />
one ovum is fertilized out of the tens of thous<strong>and</strong><br />
produced by the female. That one ovum out of tens<br />
of thous<strong>and</strong> is also refered to in the Qur'an as<br />
Sulaalah. This w<strong>or</strong>d also means gentle extraction<br />
from a fluid. The fluid refers to both male <strong>and</strong><br />
female germinal fluids containing gametes. Both<br />
ovum <strong>and</strong> sperm are gently extracted from their<br />
environments in the process of fertilization.<br />
NUTFATUN AMSHAAJ – MINGLED<br />
LIQUIDS<br />
“Verily We created man<br />
from a drop of mingled sperm.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 76:2]
The Arabic w<strong>or</strong>d nutfatin amshaajin means mingled<br />
liquids. Acc<strong>or</strong>ding to some commentat<strong>or</strong>s of the<br />
Qur’an, mingled liquids refers to the male <strong>or</strong> female<br />
agents <strong>or</strong> liquids. After mixture of male <strong>and</strong> female<br />
gamete, the zygote still remains nutfah. Mingled<br />
liquids can also refer to spermatic fluid that is<br />
f<strong>or</strong>med of various secretions that come from various<br />
gl<strong>and</strong>s.<br />
Theref<strong>or</strong>e, nutfatin amshaaj, i.e. a minute quantity<br />
of mingled fluids refers to the male <strong>and</strong> female<br />
gametes (germinal fluids <strong>or</strong> cells) <strong>and</strong> part of the<br />
surrounding fluids.<br />
SEX DETERMINATION<br />
The sex of a foetus is determined by the nature of<br />
the sperm <strong>and</strong> not of the ovum. The sex of the child,<br />
whether female <strong>or</strong> male, depends on whether the<br />
23rd pair of chromosomes is XX <strong>or</strong> XY respectively.<br />
Primarily, sex determination occurs at fertilization<br />
<strong>and</strong> depends upon the type of sex chromosome in<br />
the sperm that fertilizes an ovum. If it is an ‘X’<br />
bearing sperm that fertilizes the ovum, the foetus<br />
is a female <strong>and</strong> if it is a ‘Y’ bearing sperm then<br />
the foetus is a male.<br />
“That He did create<br />
in pairs – male <strong>and</strong> female,<br />
from a seed when lodged<br />
(in its place).”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 53:45-46]<br />
The Arabic w<strong>or</strong>d nutfah means a minute quantity of<br />
liquid <strong>and</strong> tumnaa means ejaculated <strong>or</strong> planted.
Theref<strong>or</strong>e nutfah specifically refers to sperm<br />
because it is ejaculated.<br />
The Qur’an says:<br />
“Was he not a drop<br />
of sperm emitted<br />
(in lowly f<strong>or</strong>m)?<br />
“Then did he become<br />
a clinging clot;<br />
then did (Allah) make<br />
<strong>and</strong> fashion (him)<br />
in due prop<strong>or</strong>tion.<br />
“And of him He made<br />
two sexes, male<br />
<strong>and</strong> female.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 75:37-39]<br />
Here again it is mentioned that a small quantity<br />
(drop) of sperm (indicated by the w<strong>or</strong>d nutfatan min<br />
maniyyin) which comes from the man is responsible<br />
f<strong>or</strong> the sex of the foetus.<br />
Mothers-in-law in the Indian subcontinent, usually<br />
prefer having male gr<strong>and</strong>children <strong>and</strong> often blame<br />
their daughters-in-law if the child is not a boy. If<br />
only they knew that the determining fact<strong>or</strong> is the<br />
nature of the male sperm <strong>and</strong> not the female ovum!<br />
If they were to blame anybody, they should rather<br />
blame their sons, not their daughters-in-law, since<br />
both the Qur’an <strong>and</strong> Science hold that it is the male<br />
fluid that is responsible f<strong>or</strong> the sex of the child!
FOETUS PROTECTED BY THREE VEILS<br />
OF DARKNESS<br />
“He makes you,<br />
in the wombs of your mothers,<br />
in stages, one after another,<br />
in three veils of darkness.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 39:6]<br />
Acc<strong>or</strong>ding to Prof. Keith Mo<strong>or</strong>e, these three veils of<br />
darkness in the Qur’an refer to:<br />
(i)<br />
anteri<strong>or</strong> abdominal wall of the mother<br />
(ii) the uterine wall<br />
(iii) the amnio-ch<strong>or</strong>ionic membrane.<br />
EMBRYOLOGICAL STAGES<br />
“Man We did create<br />
from a quintessence (of clay);<br />
then We placed him<br />
as (a drop of) sperm<br />
in a place of rest, firmly fixed;<br />
then We made the sperm<br />
into a clot of congealed blood;<br />
then of that clot We made<br />
a (foetus) lump;
then We made out of that<br />
lump bones <strong>and</strong> clothed<br />
the bones with flesh;<br />
then We developed<br />
out of it another creature.<br />
so blessed be Allah,<br />
the Best to create!”<br />
[Al-Qur’ an 23:12-14]<br />
In this verse Allah states that man is created from<br />
a small quantity of liquid which is placed in a place<br />
of rest, firmly fixed (well established <strong>or</strong> lodged) f<strong>or</strong><br />
which the Arabic w<strong>or</strong>d qaraarin makeen is used.<br />
The uterus is well protected from the posteri<strong>or</strong> by<br />
the spinal column supp<strong>or</strong>ted firmly by the back<br />
muscles. The embryo is further protected by the<br />
amniotic sac containing the amniotic fluid. Thus<br />
the foetus has a well protected dwelling place.<br />
This small quantity of fluid is made into alaqah,<br />
meaning something which clings. It also means<br />
a leech-like substance. Both descriptions are<br />
scientifically acceptable as in the very early stages<br />
the foetus clings to the wall <strong>and</strong> also appears to<br />
resemble the leech in shape. It also behaves like a<br />
leech (blood sucker) <strong>and</strong> acquires its blood supply<br />
from the mother through the placenta.<br />
The third meaning of the w<strong>or</strong>d alaqah is a blood<br />
clot. During this alaqah stage, which spans the<br />
third <strong>and</strong> fourth week of pregnancy, the blood clots<br />
within closed vessels. Hence the embryo acquires<br />
the appearance of a blood clot in addition to
acquiring the appearance of a leech. Compare the<br />
readily available Qur'anic knowledge with Man's<br />
struggle with scientific findings:<br />
In 1677, Hamm <strong>and</strong> Leeuwenhoek were the<br />
first scientists to observe human sperm cells<br />
(spermatozoa) through a microscope. They thought<br />
that a sperm cell contained a miniature human<br />
being which grew in the uterus to f<strong>or</strong>m a newb<strong>or</strong>n.<br />
This was known as the perf<strong>or</strong>ation the<strong>or</strong>y. When<br />
scientists discovered that the ovum was bigger than<br />
the sperm, it was thought by scientists like De Graf<br />
<strong>and</strong> others that the foetus existed in a miniature<br />
f<strong>or</strong>m in the ovum. Later, in the 18th century,<br />
Maupertuis propagated the the<strong>or</strong>y of biparental<br />
inheritance.<br />
The alaqah is transf<strong>or</strong>med into mudghah which<br />
means ‘something that is chewed (having teeth<br />
marks)’ <strong>and</strong> also something that is tacky <strong>and</strong> small<br />
which can be put in the mouth like gum. Both these<br />
explanations are scientifically c<strong>or</strong>rect. Prof. Keith<br />
Mo<strong>or</strong>e took a piece of plaster seal <strong>and</strong> made it into<br />
the size <strong>and</strong> shape of the early stage of foetus <strong>and</strong><br />
chewed it between the teeth to make it into a<br />
mudghah. He compared this with the photographs<br />
of the early stage of foetus. The teeth marks<br />
resembled the ‘somites’ which is the early f<strong>or</strong>mation<br />
of the spinal column.<br />
This mudghah is transf<strong>or</strong>med into bones (izâm).<br />
The bones are clothed with intact flesh <strong>or</strong> muscles<br />
(lahm). Then Allah makes it into another creature.
Prof. Marshall Johnson who is one of the leading<br />
scientists in the USA, <strong>and</strong> is the head of the<br />
Department of Anatomy <strong>and</strong> Direct<strong>or</strong> of the Daniel<br />
Institute at the Thomas Jefferson University in<br />
Philadelphia in the USA, was asked to comment on<br />
the verses of the Qur’an dealing with embryology. At<br />
first he said that the verses of the Qur’an describing<br />
the embryological stages cannot be a coincidence. It<br />
was probable that Muhammad (pbuh) had a powerful<br />
microscope. On being reminded that the Qur’an was<br />
revealed 1400 years ago, <strong>and</strong> microscopes were<br />
invented many centuries after the time of Prophet<br />
Muhammad (pbuh), Prof. Johnson laughed <strong>and</strong><br />
admitted that the first microscope invented could not<br />
magnify m<strong>or</strong>e than 10 times <strong>and</strong> could not show a<br />
clear picture.<br />
Later he said: “I see nothing here in conflict with<br />
the concept that Divine intervention was involved<br />
when Muhammad (pbuh) recited the Qur’an.” 1<br />
Acc<strong>or</strong>ding to Dr. Keith Mo<strong>or</strong>e, the <strong>modern</strong><br />
classification of embryonic development stages<br />
which is adopted throughout the w<strong>or</strong>ld, is not<br />
easily comprehensible, since it identifies stages<br />
on a numerical basis i.e. stage 1, stage 2, etc. On the<br />
other h<strong>and</strong>, the divisions revealed in the Qur’an are<br />
based on distinct <strong>and</strong> easily identifiable f<strong>or</strong>ms <strong>or</strong><br />
shapes, which the embryo passes through. These<br />
are based on different phases of pre-natal<br />
_____________________________________________________________<br />
development<br />
1<br />
The reference f<strong>or</strong> this statment is the video tape titled ‘This is the Truth’.<br />
F<strong>or</strong> a copy of this video tape contact the Islamic Research Foundation.
<strong>and</strong> provide elegant scientific descriptions that are<br />
comprehensible <strong>and</strong> practical.<br />
Embryological stages of human development have<br />
also been described in the following verses:<br />
“Was he not a drop<br />
of sperm emitted<br />
(in lowly f<strong>or</strong>m)?<br />
Then did he become<br />
a clinging clot;<br />
then did (Allah) make<br />
<strong>and</strong> fashion (him)<br />
in due prop<strong>or</strong>tion.<br />
<strong>and</strong> of him He made<br />
two sexes, male<br />
<strong>and</strong> female.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 75:37-39]<br />
“Him Who created thee,<br />
fashioned thee in due prop<strong>or</strong>tion,<br />
<strong>and</strong> gave thee a just bias;<br />
in whatever F<strong>or</strong>m He wills,<br />
does He put thee together.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 82:7-8]
EMBRYO PARTLY FORMED AND<br />
PARTLY UNFORMED<br />
At the mudghah stage, if an incision is made in the<br />
embryo <strong>and</strong> the internal <strong>or</strong>gan is dissected, it will be<br />
seen that most of them are f<strong>or</strong>med while the<br />
remaining are not yet completely f<strong>or</strong>med.<br />
Acc<strong>or</strong>ding to Prof. Johnson, if we describe the<br />
embryo as a complete creation, then we are only<br />
describing that part which is already created.<br />
If we describe it as an incomplete creation, then<br />
we are only describing that part which is not yet<br />
created. So, is it a complete creation <strong>or</strong> an incomplete<br />
creation? There is no better description of this stage<br />
of embryogenesis than the Qur’anic description,<br />
“partly f<strong>or</strong>med <strong>and</strong> partly unf<strong>or</strong>med”, as in the<br />
following verse:<br />
“We created you<br />
out of dust,<br />
then out of sperm,<br />
then out of a leech-like clot,<br />
then out of a m<strong>or</strong>sel of flesh,<br />
partly f<strong>or</strong>med<br />
<strong>and</strong> partly unf<strong>or</strong>med<br />
that We may manifest<br />
(Our Power) to you.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 22:5]
Scientifically we know that at this early stage<br />
of development there are some cells which are<br />
differentiated <strong>and</strong> there are some cells that are<br />
undifferentiated – some <strong>or</strong>gans are f<strong>or</strong>med <strong>and</strong> yet<br />
others unf<strong>or</strong>med.<br />
SENSE OF HEARING AND SIGHT<br />
The first sense to develop in a developing human<br />
embryo is hearing. The foetus can hear sounds after<br />
the 24th week. Subsequently, the sense of sight is<br />
developed <strong>and</strong> by the 28th week, the retina becomes<br />
sensitive to light.<br />
The Qur'an explains it thus:<br />
“And He gave<br />
you (the faculties of) hearing<br />
<strong>and</strong> sight <strong>and</strong> feeling<br />
(<strong>and</strong> underst<strong>and</strong>ing).”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 32:9]<br />
“Verily We created man<br />
from a drop of mingled sperm,<br />
in <strong>or</strong>der to try him:<br />
so We gave him (the gifts),<br />
of Hearing <strong>and</strong> Sight.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 76:2]<br />
“It is He Who has created<br />
f<strong>or</strong> you (the faculties of)
hearing, sight, feeling <strong>and</strong><br />
underst<strong>and</strong>ing:<br />
little thanks it is ye give!”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 23:78]<br />
In all these verses the sense of hearing is mentioned<br />
bef<strong>or</strong>e that of sight. Thus the Qur’anic description<br />
matches perfectly with the discoveries in <strong>modern</strong><br />
embryology.
13. GENERAL SCIENCE<br />
FINGERPRINTS<br />
“Does man think that We<br />
cannot assemble his bones?<br />
Nay, We are able to put<br />
together in perfect <strong>or</strong>der<br />
the very tips of his fingers.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 75:3-4]<br />
Unbelievers argue regarding resurrection taking<br />
place after bones of dead people have disintegrated<br />
in the earth <strong>and</strong> how each individual would be<br />
identified on the Day of Judgement. Almighty Allah<br />
answers that He can not only assemble our bones<br />
but can also reconstruct perfectly our very<br />
fingertips.<br />
Why does the Qur’an, while speaking about<br />
determination of the identity of the individual,<br />
speak specifically about fingertips? In 1880,<br />
fingerprinting became the scientific method of<br />
identification, after research done by Sir Francis<br />
Golt. No two persons in the w<strong>or</strong>ld can ever have<br />
exactly the same fingerprint pattern, not even<br />
identical twins. That is the reason why police f<strong>or</strong>ces<br />
w<strong>or</strong>ldwide use fingerprints to identify criminals.<br />
Fourteen hundred years ago, who could have known<br />
the uniqueness of each human’s fingerprint? Surely it<br />
could have been none other than the Creat<strong>or</strong> Himself!
PAIN RECEPTORS IN THE SKIN<br />
It was thought that the sense of feeling <strong>and</strong> pain<br />
was dependent only on the brain. Recent discoveries<br />
however prove that there are pain recept<strong>or</strong>s present<br />
in the skin, without which a person would not be<br />
able to feel pain.<br />
When a doct<strong>or</strong> examines a patient suffering from<br />
burn injuries, he verifies the degree of burns by a<br />
pinprick. If the patient feels pain, the doct<strong>or</strong> is<br />
happy, because it indicates that the burns are<br />
superficial <strong>and</strong> the pain recept<strong>or</strong>s are intact. On the<br />
other h<strong>and</strong>, if the patient does not feel any pain, it<br />
indicates that it is a deep burn <strong>and</strong> the pain<br />
recept<strong>or</strong>s have been destroyed.<br />
The Qur’an gives a clear indication of the existence<br />
of pain recept<strong>or</strong>s in the following verse:<br />
“Those who reject<br />
our signs,<br />
We shall soon<br />
cast into the Fire;<br />
as often as their skins<br />
are roasted through,<br />
We shall change them<br />
f<strong>or</strong> fresh skins,<br />
that they may taste<br />
the Penalty:
f<strong>or</strong> Allah is Exalted<br />
in Power, Wise.”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 4:56]<br />
Prof. Tagatat Tejasen, Chairman of the Department<br />
of Anatomy at Chiang Mai University in Thail<strong>and</strong>,<br />
has spent a great amount of time on research of<br />
pain recept<strong>or</strong>s. Initially he could not believe that<br />
the Qur’an mentioned this scientific fact 1,400<br />
years ago. He later verified the translation of this<br />
particular Qur’anic verse. Prof. Tejasen was so<br />
impressed by the scientific accuracy of the Qur’anic<br />
verse, that at the 8th Saudi Medical Conference<br />
held in Riyadh on the Scientific Signs of Qur’an <strong>and</strong><br />
Sunnah, he proudly proclaimed in public:<br />
“There is no God but Allah <strong>and</strong><br />
Muhammad (pbuh) is His Messenger.”
14. CONCLUSION<br />
To attribute the presence of scientific facts in the<br />
Qur’an to coincidence would be against common<br />
sense <strong>and</strong> a true scientific approach.<br />
Indeed the scientific accuracy of the Qur'anic verses<br />
confirm the Qur'an's open declaration.<br />
“Soon will We show them<br />
Our Signs in the (furthest)<br />
regions (of the earth), <strong>and</strong><br />
in their own souls, until<br />
it becomes manifest to them<br />
that this is the Truth<br />
it is not enough that<br />
Thy L<strong>or</strong>d doth witness<br />
all things?”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 41:53]<br />
The Qur’an invites all humans to reflect on the<br />
Creation of this universe in the verse:<br />
“Behold! In the creation<br />
of the heavens <strong>and</strong> the earth,<br />
<strong>and</strong> the alternation<br />
of Night <strong>and</strong> Day –<br />
there are indeed Signs<br />
f<strong>or</strong> men of underst<strong>and</strong>ing .”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 3:190]
The scientific evidences of the Qur’an clearly prove<br />
its Divine <strong>or</strong>igin. No human could have produced a<br />
book, fourteen hundred years ago, that would<br />
contain such profound scientific facts.<br />
The Qur’an, however, is not a book of Science but a<br />
book of ‘Signs’. These signs invite Man to realize the<br />
purpose of his existence on earth, <strong>and</strong> to live in<br />
harmony with Nature. The Qur’an is truly a<br />
message from Allah, the Creat<strong>or</strong> <strong>and</strong> Sustainer of<br />
the universe. It contains the same Message of the<br />
Oneness of God, that was preached by all prophets,<br />
right from Adam, Moses, Jesus to Muhammad<br />
(peace be upon them).<br />
Several detailed tomes have been written on the<br />
subject of Qur’an <strong>and</strong> <strong>modern</strong> <strong>science</strong> <strong>and</strong> further<br />
research in this field is on. Inshallah, this research<br />
will help mankind to come closer to the W<strong>or</strong>d of the<br />
Almighty. This booklet contains only a few of the<br />
scientific facts present in the Qur’an. I cannot claim<br />
to have done full justice to the subject.<br />
Prof. Tejasen accepted Islam on the strength of just<br />
one scientific ‘sign’ mentioned in the Qu’ran. Some<br />
people may require ten signs while some may<br />
require hundred signs to be convinced about the<br />
Divine <strong>or</strong>igin of the Qur’an. Some would be<br />
unwilling to accept the Truth even after being<br />
shown a thous<strong>and</strong> signs. The Qur’an condemns such<br />
a closed mentality in the verse:
“Deaf, dumb <strong>and</strong> blind,<br />
They will not return<br />
(To the path).”<br />
[Al-Qur’an 2:18]<br />
The Qur’an contains a complete code of life f<strong>or</strong> the<br />
individual <strong>and</strong> society. Alhamdulillah (Praise be to<br />
Allah), the Qur’anic way of life is far superi<strong>or</strong> to the<br />
‘isms’ that <strong>modern</strong> man has invented out of sheer<br />
ign<strong>or</strong>ance. Who can give better guidance than the<br />
Creat<strong>or</strong> Himself?<br />
I pray that this humble eff<strong>or</strong>t is accepted by Allah,<br />
to whom I pray f<strong>or</strong> mercy <strong>and</strong> guidance (Aameen).